Monopoli and Polignano a Mare ….a bit of change of pace

October 21 st

For a change of pace, we are going to visit the seashore first stopping at Monopoli (and no, the name has nothing to do with the game) a 45-minute drive from where we are staying. Still another lovely day with temperatures peaking at 23C. An uneventful drive first through the countryside and then a rather uninteresting highway drive.  The town has a population of some 50m with fishing, agriculture, and tourism as the main economic drivers. The red and blue boats below are called ‘gonzo’ – are actually pretty representative of the region, many made by local ship-making artisans, while their contrast against the white-washed walls of Monopoli’s old town is quite marvelous.

We did a bit of a walkabout in this pleasant town … click on the images to enlarge them:

…before moving on to Polignano a Mare whose 18m souls rely primarily on tourism to the extent it is considered a beach town. Another town with an easy-going Centro Storico of whitewashed buildings and a smattering of historic buildings.

 We took our time eating lunch in the  Piazza Aldo Moro which has some nice architecture albeit several buildings were under renovation…

The Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assision left above had an interior reflecting the influence of the sea in this town:

Walking through so many of these towns is enjoyable as one is tempted to peek around yet another corner to see what one can discover…

…these fellows were obviously considering “safety first”, although I was wondering how the guy holding the rope planned to anchor himself if the guy at the pointy end of the rope would slip and fall.

There is an interesting-looking beach called “Cala Porto” or “Beach Monachile Lama”, named after the bridge that must be crossed to reach it. Many of the photos I have posted are not overwhelmed by crowds which is partially due to it being off-season and also as we try to go early to heavily visited sites. The photo below is mine and below it the same location in the heat of summer!

Well, today was a nice and easy day, time to return to base and see what tomorrow has in store for us.